Dealing With the Rainy Season in the Philippines

Last Saturday I realized that
the temperature here in Baguio City rose. I slept with just two blankets,
instead of four.

I busied building something
that I would be proud to launch in the coming days. When I woke up in the
afternoon, Mr. Sun was there and the first thing I wanted to do was to go out
and have a piece of the sun rays.

It was Hallelujah!

For weeks, we never saw the
sun here in the Philippines. Rain did not stop pouring and landslides, flooding
and rainy season-caused diseases were everywhere.

On social media, the
#PrayforthePhilippines hashtag spread like a virus, with philanthropists wiring
donation for the disaster victims.

In the middle of the heavy
downpour of the rain and the strong wind coming from the Pacific, we still needed
to go to work to live. As an employee in a foreign-owned company, work
suspensions from the government do not cover us.

Equipped with an umbrella, a
pair of slippers and thick clothes, I went to the office to work. I hated to go
outside when I know that students and employees from government agencies are
enjoying the warmth of their bed.

That Saturday, the weather
agency already announced that the typhoon is over. After a minute, a new
weather update came in: a new typhoon is hitting the country in the coming
hours.

Mad but I cannot do
anything.

I rushed to do my laundry.
Thanks to fabric conditioners that preserve perfume in clothes even without the
sun

rays.

I noticed it was my third
batch of laundry still waiting to dry. Poor me; I always wanted a fabric dryer.

To combat the cold weather,
I stored six gallons of water, tea bags, milk powder and sachets of coffee. In
an hour, I finish three cups of coffee or tea.

While sipping a cup of
coffee, I flipped through the pages of my favorite Entrepreneur Magazine. Then
spend of my time on Facebook reading weather updates and enjoying memes about
the bad weather in the country.

A week ago, I was informed
about tourists and tour guides in my hometown Sagada trapped inside the
Sumaguing Cave. According to reports, these people were on a tour inside the
famous tourist destination at the height of the typhoon when the water level inside
the cave rose.

All of the trapped people
were already rescued expect for one. Even the Philippine Coast Guard is in the
mountainous town to help.

In fact, it is not the
first time that we hear such news. During Typhoon Feria years ago, a cousin of
mine who shared the same Igorot name with my mom died inside the cave after
touring a set of tourists in the middle of a strong typhoon.

I am praying for miracles.
Miracles for the remaining tourist inside the cave and for the flooded areas.

In our country, we do not
learn our lessons. We get flooded every time but we still insist to dump our
garbage everywhere. Even if it is obvious that the ground we are standing on is
about to erode, we still do not evacuate hoping God comes in a Superman suit
and fly us to a safer area.

Only in the Philippines!

In the evening, I went out
to meet some old friends. We took dinner in a restaurant along Session Road
then parted ways while the rain was not pouring that hard.

In Sunday, everything
seemed okay. The sun can be seen but the clouds between its supremacy and earth
was really thick so the sky was flashing gray.

In the afternoon, it
started drizzling. I took a nap.

At around four, the sun was
getting brighter although everything up there was still gray.

I went jogging along Loakan
Airport. Then in the middle of the length of the runway, the rain started
pouring. The wind accompanied the rain.

I had to head back to my
flat. I dropped by at the flat of my workmates and ate dinner with them.

This morning, I woke up
feeling cold. The new typhoon has just arrived.

It was pouring very hard. I
fixed all my stuff to head to work.

When I got into the office,
the lower part of my pants were soaking wet. But life must still go on!

Dealing With the Rainy Season in the PhilippinesChristian Lizardo Aligo
Thursday, August 29, 2013